June 28, 2021

Dear friends,

In spite of my personally alerting a lot of regular media – not even lapdog media – on the evening of January 25th, almost no one reached Mukarba Chowk, Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar on 26th morning. This is where the Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee had already announced they will enter the Outer Ring Road. See 1st comment.

Later, upon the march, the same media claimed innocence, ‘intelligence failure, lack of prior knowledge’. Media showed lathi charge and skirmishes but none of them, not a single one, mentioned that police had blocked even the approved routes for Tractor March. For example, The police tear gassed farmers at Ghazipur who sought to go down Akshardam to take a U-turn to march on approved roads. Or turn towards Geeta Colony. The police sent farmers to Red Fort and ITO, where they lathi-charged them. This in spite of prior knowledge. This is the hypocrisy of our media.

Yet, bravely, deserves my respect, independent film makers such as my friend Nakul Singh Sawhney, Kartik Nijhawan and others reached the spot that morning. ScoopWhoop ground reports in comments below. Nakul, unfortunately lost his phone during the day. Yet, he sent this dispatch:

I will probably write about everything that happened yesterday in greater detail later. But for now, one small note.

Before you get carried away by all those media ‘reports’ on the ‘violence’ by farmers and ‘indisciplined’ protesters, just try and remember one thing: there were easily 7-10 lakh people on the streets of Delhi yesterday. It’ll be safe to assume that over 90% of them were men. From possibly some of the most hyper masculine parts of the country.

And yet, there isn’t a single report about common civilians of Delhi being attacked or harassed or their properties being vandalised. Not a single report about common women on Delhi’s streets being harassed in any way. The only reports of ‘violence’ and ‘clashes’ was that against the police and RAF, basically the state apparatus.

As someone who saw a lot of the ‘violence’ I can assure you that most of it was provoked by the police. Not one civilian casualty (except of farmers themselves) have been reported.

So, breathe easy if you are so perturbed about the ‘violence’, because none of it was targeted against you.

A Very Happy Belated Republic Day!

—

My message to media outlets January 25, evening.

This is the message I sent out:

At the Farmers Protests, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee has declared that it does not abide by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha new route for the Tractor Parade. KMSC is independent of SKM.

KSMC has declared it will follow the generally declared plan on January 17 – Tractor March on Delhi’s Outer Ring Road. This would mean, 10 kms from Singhu, at Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Mubarka Chowk (sic), where SKM wants the rally to proceed right towards Bawana, KMSC will ask its union and those who act on their call to turn left towards Azadpur/ISBT.

This could be a point of conflict because the police will barricade the route to Azadpur/ISBT. KMSC has declared their march will be peaceful and disciplined and if the state exerts violence, they will not retaliate. Instead, they will take the blows or bullets but they want to exert the right of the nation’s citizens to celebrate the Republic Day.

I feel you may want this covered by your reporters.